Apparatus for treating liquid films.



C. V. BOYS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID FILMS.

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C. V. BOYS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19.1913.

Patented Feb.24,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR; nvwziB 'IHTN ESSES' CAarZe; V; 0 M06. J a, zdfi/ML M xr ATTORNEY CHARLES VERNON BOYS, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

, APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID FILMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application filed April 19, 1913. Serial No. 762,409.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES VERNON Boys, F. R. 3., asubject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at 66 Victoria street, Westminster, London, S. England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Liquid Films, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of the apparatus for which I have been granted Letters Patent No. 1,048,801, and it has for its object so to cheapen the construction that it may be the more serviceable as a toy and at the same time to reduce the friction and the necessity for considerable accuracy of construction in order to obtain good results,

With these objects the invention consists in the improved apparatus or combinations of features for treating liquid films hereinafter described or indicated and particularly pointed out in the claims.

According to the construction described in my above mentioned Letters Patent the filmcarrying box or cup is fixed rigidly to a spindle running in bearings or to a tube which may run on a fixed spindle. While these forms of construction act well when well made it is essential that the spindle or tube be secured accurately in position so that the cup may run true. By introverting the base of the cup however and letting this rest on a point the cup will spin with far less friction on a single point than it can when running as previously made and described but the means formerly employed for giving the rotation are no longer applicable. I therefore provide driving faces in the form of depressions around the side of the cup or small vanes around the edge of the transparent cover by which a jet of air or other gas may the more effectively give rotation to the cup. The small and light cup suitable for a toy may in this way be blown around by means of a pipe blown with the mouth and very little effort is necessary. This has the further advantage that the driving force may be very gently or gradually applied. When the jet of air impinges upon the depressions or vanes of the rotating cup a musical note is omitted and the number of revolutions in follow the circle which the rotation of the cup about its dynamical axis imposes upon 1t thus doing away with the necessity for extreme accuracy of construction.

By making the introverted base in the form of a widecone with a rounded vertex, which should not reach so high as the plane of the film and which by preference is but little above the center of gravity of the cup and shade together, the cup is free to tilt through a large angle and as it slowlyprecesses and changes the angle at which light is reflected into the eye the colored rings on the liquid film appear to expand and contract. To reduce the friction, if the cup is made of a soft material, I may fixa small concave piece of glass or steel in the introverted base to rest on the supporting point. It is obvious that the position of the point and concave surface may be interchanged.

The transparent cover may be made of celluloid, preferably non-infiammable, glass or other transparent material either conical or dome-shaped with the edge fitting over the edge of the cup. Or the edge of the shade may be reinforced with a rim, for instance of tin plate, with the vanes punched and bent up. w o

The invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, of which- Figure 1 shows an elevation partly in section, and Fig. 2 a plan of one form of the present invention; Figs. 3 and 4 show alternative constructions of the supporting point and adjacent parts; Fig. 5 shows a modified form of cup, with depressions, Fig. 6 being a section through the depressions on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 shows a blowing pipe or tube; Fig. 8 shows a vertical section through a modified form of cup and mounting, with the cup spinner in its inoperative position Fig. 9 being a similar View with the cup spinner in its operative position,

' fits loosely in a hole in the base, (Z.

transparent conical cover, 71, may be made of 7 while finallyFigs. 10and 11 are a plan and celluloid or forsafety of the transparent acetate of cellulose or non-inflammable celu luloid with the joint, 2', made with a slight overlap and cementedby theuse of acetone. This conical cover is nipped between the inturned edges, j, j, of an inner ring of tin plate, 6, closely fitting within an outer ring of tin plate, f, the latter ring having vanes,

g, punched therefrom and turned outwardly.

It is important that the cover should be tightly nipped between the'inner and outer 1 tin plate rings so that no air may find its way into the interior of the cup by way of the openings from which the vanes are punched. i

In place of a conical shade made from sheet material, I may use a cover of dome form without a joint made by molding or asa film deposited on a polished former by evaporation ofv a solution. The edge of the shade fits easily over the outside of the cup which will then balance upon the point of the wire, a. The whole may then be made to spin by blowing with the mouth upon the vanes, g, by means of the pipe ofglass or other material shown in Fig. 7. A soapwater film stretched uponthe inturned rim of the cup by means ofa wiper becomes thinner in the middle on rotation of the cup,

and develops brilliant ring patterns depending upon the interferenceof light as is well understood. 7

The wire, 0, is made flexible so that its point can readily be carried around in a small circle thus allowing the cup to spin freely around its true center of gravity. ()wing to the wide angle of the introverted base, 7), the cup can be tilted considerably and will then precess so as to change the inclination at which the film is viewed and cause the rings to expand and contract in time with the precessional motion; as the centeriof gravity is arranged to be below the point of support the direction of the precession will be opposite to the direction of rotation of the cup.

Fig. 3 shows a detail of an alternative con struction according to which, a point, 7c, is attached to the vertex of the introverted base and the concave surface takes the form of a small cup, 111., at the end of the wire, 0.

Again, in Fig. 4, a modifiedcon'struction is shown, suitable when the cup is made of soft material such as pewter and in which a hard concave disk, 11,, is secured at the vertex of the introverted base.

According to the modified form of cup shown in Figs. 5 and 6, depressions, 0, 0, are formed in the body of the cup to act as vanes, instead of those above described. With this construction, it is useful to roll out a rim or bead, 1', around the cup to prevent air from being driven in under the shade when blowing the cup around.

According to another form of the invention, the type of construction shown in my earlier patent specification above referred to, is modified so as to secure the advantages of a laterally mobile support at a single point situated at or above the center of gravity with ability to tilt through considerable angles so as to produce wellmarked precessional effects. Thus referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the cup, (1, with transpar- 'ent cover, h, is provided with a dependent annular counterweight, s,.which serves not only to lower the center of gravity of the rotating system to or below the point of sup port but also to act as afiywheel. The bottom of the cup is provided with a conical introversion, t, the apex of which rests on the end of the flexible steel wire, 0, fitting in the base, cl, while the wire is surrounded by, but out of contact with a tubular upright, a, attached to the base. Freely mounted on the uprlght, u, is a knurled sleeve or cup spinner, 1;, having at its upper end one member, w, of a dog clutch device adapted to engage with a corresponding member, to, attached to the bottom of the cup, a.

In order to spin the cup, the sleeve, 0, is raised until the clutch members, w, 'w engage and the distance piece, 00, shown in Figs. 10 and 11, is slipped in between the base, (1, and the sleeve, '0, where it is held by the spring, 2, so as to support the sleeve but without taking any of the weight of the film cup system. The parts of the apparatus then have the relation shown in Fig. 9, and the cup may be readily rotated by hand by means of the knurled sleeve, until the desired speed of rotation is attained; the distance piece may then be removed and the sleeve or cup'spinner, o, lowered to the position shown in Fig. 8, when the cup system will rotate freely for a considerable time.

By constructions such as those above described certain of the phenomena referred to in my earlier specification and others in addition may be demonstrated in a simple and convenient manner.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. In combination a hollow vessel closable by a liquid film; and a basal central support about which said vessel can tilt in stable equilibrium, said vessel being rotatable in relation to said support, as set forth.

2. In combination a hollow vessel composed of separable parts and divisible by a liquid film into chambers each inclosing elastic fluid; and a basal central support about which said vessel can tilt in stable equilib rium, said vessel being rotatable in relation to said support, as set forth.

3. In combination, a hollow vessel closable by a liquid film, said vessel having an introverted bottom; a supportin the region of the apex of said introversion aboutwhich said vessel can tilt in stable equilibrium, together with means for rotating said vessel about said support, as set forth.

4. In combination, a hollow vessel closable by a liquid film, said vessel having an introverted bottom, the apex of which is located above the center of gravity of said vessel; a support in the region of the apex of said introversion about which said vessel can tilt, together with means for rotating said vessel about said support, as set forth.

5. In combination a hollow vessel closable by a liquid film, said vessel having exteriorly disposed jet-receiving driving portions and a support in relation to which said vessel is rotatable, as set forth.

6. In combination a hollow vessel composed of separable parts and divisible by a liquid film into chambers each inclosing elastic fluid, one of said parts having j et-receiving driving portions exteriorly disposed, and a support in relation to which said vessel is rotatable, as set forth.

7. In combination an open hollow vessel closable by a liquid film; a base and a'laterally movable support thereon in relation to which said vessel is rotatable, as set forth.

8. In combination an open hollow vessel closable by a liquid film, and a flexible wire on one end of which said vessel is rotatable, as set forth. 7

9. In combination a hollow vessel closable by a liquid film and having an introverted bottom; a base, together with a flexible wire supported on said base by one end, said vessel being supported by the other end of said wire at the apex of the introversion, as set forth.

10. In combination a hollow vessel composed of separable parts and divisible by a liquid film into chambers each inclosing elastic fluid; a base and a laterally movable support thereon in relation to which said vessel is rotatable, as set forth.

In testimonywhereof, I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 1

CHARLES VERNON BOYS.

Witnesses:

W. J. A. BUTTERFIELD, L. C. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenh, Washington, D. G. 

